


stolen moment

by amasveritas



Series: hook, line, and sinker [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 08:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1975416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amasveritas/pseuds/amasveritas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a general rule, pirates are not overly fond of mermaids. So imagine Killian Jones's surprise when he spots one near his ship.</p><p>[prequel to friendly wager]</p>
            </blockquote>





	stolen moment

Pirates, as a general rule, are not overly fond of mermaids.

They are mischievous things, playful and frisky right up until the moment they aren't. Many a sailor has lost their life thanks to a mermaid's trickery; luring men in with their siren songs and their irresistible beauty, pulling them under to spend eternity in Davy Jones’ Locker. Every sailor, every pirate, and any man heading out to sea is taught to be wary of mermaids.

The problem is, there hasn't been a substantial account of a mermaid in centuries. They're just stories now, told by old, haunted, grisly sailors who reek of rum and can never bring themselves to leave the tavern.

So imagine Killian Jones's surprise when he spots one near his ship.

There isn't another soul in sight; the Roger’s crew is back on land, a well-earned break after some successful plundering. They are settling into the role of scourge of the seas quite well, though he’s sure the King doesn't appreciate it nearly as much as Killian does. After a few rums (and a few pieces of silver handed to the barkeep in exchange for a promise not to call the guards), Killian returns to his ship offshore, and spies the girl just as he steps on board.

He’s not certain it’s a mermaid, not at first. Initially, he thinks it’s a fair maiden come to steal a moment with him (and it certainly wouldn't be the first time.) She’s floating in the water beside The Jolly Roger, her head and her shoulders just peeking out from beneath the waves. But the longer he looks - stares, really - the more he realises there is something not entirely...human about her. But Killian Jones is not one to deny a beautiful woman; if a day comes where he does, may crocodiles eat his hand.

He saunters over, an extra swagger in his step, and leans against the edge of the ship. Peering down, he offers her his most charming of grins. “Hello there.”

The lass tilts her head to the side, a coy little gesture. Her red hair is slicked back, and droplets of water drip down her cheek, her neck, her chest.

“What’s your name, love?”

She looks as if she’s about to answer him, but stops herself almost at once. Her smile drops and she frowns deeply, green eyes focused on the water and nothing else.

“No need to be shy,” he continues, more than a little concerned as to why she’d be near tears after only being asked her name, “we’re all friends here.”

The looks she gives him is one of pure skepticism; an eyebrow arches and she purses her lips, and he has to give her that one.

“What are you doing in the water? It’s rather cold,” he tries instead, with a gesture to his cabin. “Wouldn't you prefer-"

Killian’s innuendo stops short. She swam to the edge of the ship (in the middle of his seduction, which was hardly appreciated) and pulled herself up to the deck. She must be freezing, he thinks, when he sees her dress - or lack thereof. The material - scales - whatever it was scarcely covered her chest, her shoulders and her midriff remaining bare. He's just about to offer her some spare clothes when he frowns. "--what are you doing?”

She’s now taken it upon herself to dig through a satchel that was left lying on the deck. _His_ satchel. The one he explicitly told Mr. Smee to put in the captain’s cabin a week ago.

With wide eyes, the girl holds up a pocket watch - his brother's old watch - and is looking at it like it’s the most precious thing in the world.

“No - give that back!” he snaps, but she drops from the edge and swims out of reach.

She’s completely fascinated by the watch, dropping it from one hand to the other. She holds it to her ear, her eyes, even her mouth, inspecting it closely. Has she never seen one before? It’s an antique, but watches themselves are not rare. This girl is a marvel. One that is testing the watch with her teeth.

“Give that back,” Killian repeats, but she just screws up her face.

Next, she tries wrapping the chain around her neck, growing increasingly frustrated when it doesn't clip shut like she thinks it’s supposed to. It would have been endearing if she was playing with anything else.

“It’s not a bloody necklace,” he snaps. “And it’s not yours.”

She’s grinning now, a triumphant, playful smile that sits in stark contrast to the scowl she had earlier. The girl laughs silently, eyes bright and glinting with a hint of mischief as if challenging him.

Well, Captain Killian Jones will not debase himself by swimming after a silent girl in the middle of the night.

She raises her eyebrows.

He dives into the water.

At least he had the sense to shrug off his new coat before jumping off, but that’s where his sense begins and ends. The water is absolutely bloody _freezing_ , and he moves sluggishly through it as his clothes begin to weigh him down. Killian fancies himself a decent swimmer; one would have to be when considering a lifetime at sea. But it is nothing, nothing compared to this girl.

She is only a few feet away, smiling at him. Taunting him.

Killian lets out a growl and swims after her. Whenever he thinks he’s close, it’s when she’s the furthest away from him. She moves with ease in the water, it’s almost unnatural; twisting, floating, diving away from him. He thinks - knows - she’s just toying with him, and he’s falling for it every time.

Then, she completely disappears.

He spins around, fuming. Where the hell has she gone? The docks are completely empty, and she’s not on The Jolly Roger (she better bloody not be on The Jolly Roger). He can’t see her anywhere, and for a moment he thinks she’s drowned. Serves her right, is his immediate response, before he’s hit with a small twinge of guilt.

A small twinge of guilt and big splash of water in the back of his head.

Killian whips around to see her overcome in a fit of eerily silent giggles. “It’s not that bloody funny,” he bites, but that only makes her laugh harder.

He almost wants to splash her back, but that would make him just as petulant as she. Killian is quite certain that he’s lost all feeling in his toes, but he can’t give up now. That watch belonged to his brother, and it is one of the few things he has left of Liam, he won’t have it in the hands of some thief, no matter how pretty she may be.

Yet...he would never admit it aloud, but he was rather enjoying himself. It was all a game, of course it was. A game of cat and mouse between a beautiful lass and a man as handsome as himself was one he was well-versed in. He’s angry, he’s frustrated, but he laughs. This entire endeavor is ridiculous, so Killian can do nothing but laugh.

The girl smiles when he laughs, and he tries in vain to reach for her again, but she twists out of the way with a speed that should not at all be possible.

“How are you bloody doing that?” he shouts, slamming his fist down on the surface.

She shrugs casually before diving down once more. This time, Killian sucks in a deep breath and follows her. He’s not sure why he does; it’s as if he isn't in control of his own body, being driven only by the need to go where she goes.

When he opens his eyes, squinting through the water, he spots her tail and it all makes sense.

He gasps, and water flows through his open mouth. A mermaid, of course she’s a mermaid. Deep down, he always knew, but it was a slippery thought, one he couldn't quite keep a firm grasp on. It’s why he felt the need to talk to her, humor her, even swim after her. It’s why she’s been playing with him. Well, he wasn’t about to be another victim of a mermaid’s malice.

Killian pulls himself towards the surface, coughing and spluttering as he tries to rid the water from his lungs, all thoughts of Liam’s watch banished from his mind. He was such a fool, blinded by her beauty and her wide-eyed innocence.

She has followed him up, frowning again, looking confused. She tries to swim closer to him, but Killian holds a hand up. He remembers everything from the stories, and his stomach drops. This was just her scheme, her plot to lure him. And it almost worked. 

“No! Don’t. Just...stay away,” he says, moving backwards towards his ship. He tears his gaze away, hoping that it somehow breaks whatever spell she could have over him. As quickly as he could manage, sopping wet and weighed down by his drenched clothing, Killian scrambles up onto the deck of the Jolly Roger.

The girl - mermaid, rather - stays where she is in the water. She stares at him, unblinking and unmoving.

“Get out of here, fish,” Killian spits, “before I gut you myself.”

He is not without mercy, let her never forget. His voice is dangerously low and full of spite, and the girl flinches. She looks angrier now, _furious_ , and for a short moment, Killian thinks this is how it will end.

But she just turns away, diving to the depths below, taking care to create a huge splash with her tail as she does.

Killian stares at the ripples until they fade and the water becomes calm and still. How long he stands there, he doesn't know, nor is he quite aware of how he is supposed to feel. She didn't sing, she didn't speak at all, and he couldn't help but wonder why. It was the source of a mermaid's power, was it not? Killian rubs his hands roughly over his face and heaves out a sigh.

He barely notices when his crew make their way back to The Jolly Roger, singing loudly and stinking of rum.

“Cap’n?” Mr Smee says, walking up and noticing Killian's forlorn expression and the fact he’s dripping on the deck. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” he says, sounding anything but. He shakes his head and tries to clear thoughts of her from his mind. “Get a good night’s rest, lads!” Killian calls to the rest of the crew as they stumble aboard. “We sail out at first light.”

He never did get her name.

 

**Author's Note:**

> so I'm working on part three, where Ariel decides what she wants after winning the race. Things that were brought up in this story will work their way into the next, and I think it'll round out the trilogy that was only supposed to be a short story for Samantha quite nicely.
> 
> what has happened to me


End file.
